Will Minnesota go forward or backward in history?
Forwards or backwards, which will it be for Minnesota? Having marched for civil rights in the 1960’s, and having taught government , politics and American history since 1971, I hope we see Minnesota’s better side this fall when we decide about whether to restrict or retain our current approach to voting rights.
Recently I’ve heard people saying, “Since we have to show ID for buying booze, why not for voting?” Equating the two seems to misunderstand what America is about.
Recently I wrote about walking along a “D-Day” beach, and honoring thousands of fallen heroes in a nearby cemetery. Several dozen readers responded. One explained “When I walked into the American Cemetery at Arromanches, I felt the greatest religious feeling of my life. No church or synagogue has ever affected me that greatly. I described it to my wife as ‘an outdoor cathedral’. I thank God for their enormous sacrifices.” Or “at times it seems as though people forget how many lives were given so we can continue to enjoy all the freedoms of our beautiful country. My Dad and two uncles were in WWII and I know freedom is not free.”
Did they fight and in some cases die, for the right to drink? Of course not. Drinking is allowed, of course.
But is it one of democracy’s fundamental freedoms, like the right to vote? Of course not.
Students sometimes are surprised when learned in classes I taught that when the country was born, only white men with a certain amount of property were allowed to vote. Students often are surprised on learning that it took about 150 years of American history before women were allowed to vote. And of course, we had what Dr. Martin Luther King called “the long walk toward freedom” before African American and other minorities gained the right to vote.
I remember very well when African Americans were attacked, and some killed, for trying to register to vote, or trying to encourage others to register. This did happen within the life time of some of us who are still alive.
Whether it was with Washington and his rag tag army, or a family member fighting at Iwo Jima. The right to vote is sacred.
There seems to be no such widespread evidence of voter fraud here.
I think we owe those thousands of guys who died at Normandy Iwo Jima, or (fill in the blank) more than we can ever repay. But in their memory, and in their honor, I think we should not tamper with one of the fundamental freedoms they fought for – the right to vote.
Joe Nathan, formerly a public school teacher, administrator and PTA president, directs the Center for School Change. Reactions welcome, joe@centerforschoolchange.org
December 4, 2012 @ 7:51 am
BACK TO THE 1950’S
I am continually amazed that our state violates the Supreme Court Case “Brown vs The Board of Education”. Research shows that segregated minorities don’t do as well academically simply because they lack the language and cultural skills needed to function in the real world. I worked at the Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul and those kids did not speak English very well and didn’t speak Hmong very either. Many developed a language called “Hmongish”. This phenomena is not unusual in a segregated environment like this. They can’t read the math and reading tests very well because their vocabulary skills are so poor. So much of our language is colloquial because connotations are cultural. Students in segregated schools are not exposed to the this vocabulary.
The effort made by the leadership and staff at Hmong College Prep Academy was well intentioned but if you went into the science room, you would ask, “Where is the science equipment?” There are limited sports and other extra curricular opportunities. The results are similar to the other segregated schools in the Twin Cities that draw a single cultural/ethnic group. The growth of Charter Schools that are increasingly appealing to an ethnic or racial group is directly correlated with the growth in the achievement gap.
Research on the performance of students in isolated segregated environments compared to students in integrated schools would reveal the handicap of attending a segregated school. But, be careful with what you are told in these segregated schools and be careful with believing school statistics. Who passes the tests and who graduates is open to manipulation. For example, a school can say, “We graduated 90% of our students.” That may not mean they actually passed the required tests or accumulated the number of credits. There is no “independent audit”.
Wouldn’t it be better to put all our resources into the public schools so those schools can function at an extraordinary level? Public schools are losing enrollments as Charter Schools increase. The Charter Schools are big business for some people. Union busters love the movement and business professionals make lots of money. Should schools be big business? This conversation about school segregation in the Twin Cities is not occurring . Why is that? Not politically correct? The Center For School change will likely delete my post for obvious reasons.
Howard Lewis,
343 S Cypress St
Cambridge, MN 55008
Howard Lewis
howardlewis@me.com
December 22, 2012 @ 11:01 pm
There are many segregated schools public schools in the Twin Cities. There are all Hmong, all Black, all Somali, and all low socio-economic status. It is surprising to most people to know these segregated schools are publicly funded. These Charter Schools were originally planned to appeal to specific academic interests, i.e music academy, math and science academy, etc. The appeal has increasingly been to an ethnic/racial group. The isolation of these groups exacerbates the achievement gap. A solution to this problem would be require schools that receive public funds to reflect the ethnicity of the city. For example, I would recommend that any school receiving public money must have at least 10% of their student body belong to be a different racial/ethnic group.